


Everything I Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten

by Not_You



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Kindergarten, Attachment Issues, Bruce is a teacher, Children, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Past Neglect, everyone else is kids, except Phil because he is the counselor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-11
Updated: 2013-04-15
Packaged: 2017-12-08 04:11:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/756895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_You/pseuds/Not_You
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a kinkmeme prompt where Bruce is a kindergarten teacher and the others are his class.  Hopefully fluffy and endearing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Bruce loves teaching kindergarten. He really does, even with all the horrible germs he picks up from them. Every year is new and different, because the kids always are. The endless variety and near-total honesty of children is probably the main perk of this job. The year hasn't started yet, but the school offers early conferences for parents with any particular concerns or goals for their children. It's not that bad, really, but he doesn't like having to dress like a grownup, and a lot of times the parents make his teeth itch.

Like Hammer and Stark, both of whom say the exact same words to him: "My son is a little faggot." To Stark's credit, it's an admonishment. He pins Bruce in place with a hard stare, daring him to say a word. 

Bruce studies him. "Do you mean to say that your child is gender-variant and possibly gay? Because I don't mind that, and anyone can use the princess clothes in this classroom." And Stark is a cold, inexpressive kind of guy, but Bruce can feel the tension leaving him.

Hammer is just an asshole. He's apparently hoping Bruce will join him in his program to "train Justin out of this shit." Bruce just calmly informs him that what Hammer is asking is outside the scope of his job. 

After them, Mrs. Rogers is a relief. She's worried about Steve being at school, because his health has never been good, and is delighted to hear about Bruce's EMT certification and the physician's skills he has no license for. He promises to remember all Steve's doses and his inhaler and everything else.

The Rushmans are a nice couple, a little haggard from dealing with Natasha's apparent attachment problems. Coming to them the previous year from a Russian orphanage, she has already improved greatly, but is still strange and inappropriately combative.

"We'll never know all she's been through," Mrs. Rushman says, dabbing at her eyes, "but it was a lot."

Bruce nods, having some experience of his own in that area. He'll look out for their little girl, and do his best to help her heal up whatever's broken. On cue, one of the scars on his back twinges, and he shifts in his seat. "I understand. We also have an excellent school counselor."

They do, and he pokes his head in after the Rushmans leave. "Holding up?"

"Hammer's a prick, the rest seem to care."

Phil's mouth thins. "I will reserve my opinions on Mr. Hammer save that he is, in fact, a prick."

Bruce grins. "Is that your professional opinion?"

" _Absolutely_."

"Uh, Mr. Banner?"

They both look around to see a kid in the hallway. He can't be a day over sixteen, clutching what Bruce recognizes as his own form letter of welcome, sent out to every home. "Yes?"

"Uh. Barney Barton. Clint's my little brother."

"Oh. Right, they mentioned that you were heavily involved in his guardianship."

"Me and Grandma, but she don't get around too good."

Bruce nods. "Well, you let me know if you need any help. I had to look after myself at your age, and that was trouble enough."

Barney smiles. "Grandma wanted me to tell you that Clint might've picked up my bad manners and to make him behave, but that he scares easy."

Bruce nods. Clint probably would have been removed from his home due to the same violence his brother had fled years before if not for the car wreck that had orphaned them. Tough kids, like Bruce had had to be. He promises to do his best by Clint, and Phil ushers Barney out just in time for Mr. Alfodr to fill the entire room with his enormous Viking presence. He's massive, and has the kind of beard generally only seen on Santa Claus. Both of his sons will be in class this year, one only three days older than the other. The younger is adopted, and has only just found out, due to a thoughtless friend of the family. He's not taking it well, and Mr. Alfodr practically begs Bruce to be patient with him and make him welcome.

Bruce promises that he will, and after a few more parents he goes home to his well-deserved rest. His lessons are planned, he's laid in good supplies of reading books, fingerpaint, and dress-up clothes. His lunch is even packed, so in the morning he finds himself prowling restlessly. He's not used to real breakfast on weekdays, and can't even take advantage of the extra time to make something besides a bowl of yogurt with granola and honey. Finally it's not obscenely early, and he makes his way to school, carefully timing it to be ahead of the buses.


	2. Chapter 2

He's at his desk when the first of the kids filter in, and he beams in welcome. Little Natasha Rushman comes in slowly, clinging to her mother's hand, a doll clutched in the other arm. She's tiny, and her eyes get huge when she catches sight of him. Her mother sighs, stopping and kneeling to talk to her. "Tasha, honey. You know I met him before. He's nice or we wouldn't be here. Do you understand?" Natasha nods at last, and lets her mother tow her to the coatroom to stow her lunch. The doll stays out, and usually Bruce would see about getting it put away for the duration, but it's clearly a security blanket and so he lets it be.

Clint Barton looks just like his brother, and seems to be torn between nerves and insatiable curiosity about this new environment. He eyes the shelves speculatively, and Bruce sighs, because he knows a monkey when he sees one. James Rhodes shows up next, and Bruce can see why his parents didn't bother with the conference. He's bright-eyed, alert, well-mannered, and psyched to be at school. His parents take a conscientious but not insultingly minute look around, and then shake Bruce's hand and leave him to it, James's father running a last affectionate hand over his son's fuzzy, close-cropped hair and admonishing him to be good as his wife crouches to give him a last kiss on the cheek.

Justin Hammer turns out to be a little cowed thing, mostly hidden behind his father and a pair of what Bruce would call Birth Control Glasses if the kid was of breeding age. Bruce is politely, but extremely glad to see Hammer leave. Mostly because his kid perks right up. Right into glad-handing politician territory, and Bruce isn't sure if it's more funny or sad.

And then Thor explodes into the room, yelling, "Are we late?"

Bruce winces. "Inside voice, please. And no, you're not late."

Loki trails into the room like a shadow, Tony Stark, Christine Everhart and Pepper Potts close behind.

Corralling basic order from utter chaos, Bruce gets everyone to sit down in a circle for introductions. His name and theirs, and the rules. That there is to be no pinching, hitting, hair-pulling, spitting, or eye-poking, and that everyone is to use their words whenever possible. After that, it's on to business. A kid can learn a lot at this age, and Bruce tries to make the most of it.

Half an hour in, he knows he's got his hands full this year. Clint acts like he sugars his Cheerios with crystal meth, Tony is wicked smart and proportionately impatient, and Natasha is just heartbreaking. She waits for orders on everything. Yes, she is allowed to touch the construction paper. Yes, every color. Yes, she can use the paints. She is cautious, and keeps the doll close whenever she does anything, guarding it. It's only a matter of time before Loki steals it to rile her, and succeeds far too well. Natasha lets out a bloodcurdling scream and hurls herself at him, yanking his long black hair (both the Alfodr boys have long hair, it's apparently a thing in their home country of Asgard) and pummeling him mercilessly with her free hand, skinny little legs tangling with his to keep him down.

"Natasha!" Bruce had been helping tiny little Steve mix the perfect shade of green for grass before pandemonium broke out, but luckily doesn't get any on Natasha's clothes as he pulls her off. It's like grabbing a cat that is extremely averse to being grabbed. Loki just sits there on the floor bawling, doll long forgotten as Thor comes scurrying over to hug his brother tightly, smearing blue paint all over him. Natasha keeps shrieking until Bruce scoops up the doll and gives it back. She hugs it tightly to her chest, and turns her face away from him. "I see that you're upset, Natasha. Loki shouldn't have done that, but you shouldn't have hit him." She just sniffles, but takes her time-out quietly once she realizes that she'll be allowed to hold her doll. Seeing the genuine terror leaving her little face makes Bruce sick to his stomach. Clearly separation has been a punishment before, and it makes him feel like crying.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki, like the well-loved brat he is, fusses and sobs about being put in time-out as soon as he gets back from the nurse's office with an ice pack and some baby aspirin because Natasha hits really hard for a kid her size. It just highlights the difference between them, that Loki for all that he's struggling right now is actually the healthier of the two, raised by loving parents who respond to his crying while Natasha is used to such deep neglect and strict regimentation that she probably would have taken being expelled with nothing but a wobble of the lower lip. The others slowly get back to painting, and Bruce takes a few deep breaths and makes sure nobody needs anything. They're actually doing surprisingly well, Christine and Pepper sharing a reservoir of sunset orange while Tony and Justin (verbally, thank god) fight over Justin copying Tony's picture. Bruce has to concede that he clearly has, and Justin's lip wobbles, big eyes welling up behind those horrible glasses.

"It's all right, honey," Bruce says, "just make your own picture." He gives Justin a fresh sheet of paper, and idly mixes some pink for him. You never know when you'll need some, after all. Tony goes back to his remarkably detailed rendering of a rocket ship, and soon enough Justin is painting enormous, pastel flowers, looking truly relaxed for the first time today.

That night Bruce is exhausted. He flops onto his bed fully clothed, wriggling his bare feet and contemplating whether the cost of delivery is worth not having to get up. In the end he decides that it is, and picks up the phone only to call Betty instead. It happens like that sometimes, and he's glad she can't see him blush like an idiot when she answers.

"Hello?"

"Hey," he says, feeling that stupid warmth creep over him. He is way too old to feel like this, and squirms in embarrassment.

"Have a good first day, Bruce?"

"A few hiccups, but yeah. Though this may be the single gayest class I've ever had."

"And just what do you mean by that, Mr. Banner?"

He chuckles. "Justin wants to marry Tony, who wants to marry James, who thinks they're both insane. And Loki says he wants to marry his brother, but I figure they'll grow out of that."

The next day, Clint plunks himself down next to Natasha, everyone playing quietly on the floor because it's raining too hard to go outside. "Wanna be friends?"

"…I don't know how."

Clint stares at her. "Really? It's easy." When Natasha just stares back, he elaborates. "We play together and if Loki takes your doll again, I help you hit him."

"…Okay."

The thing about kids is that you can never really predict them. With the dirt he always acquires no matter how much Bruce scrubs him off and his patched and re-patched clothes, Clint does not seem like the type to play house. And strictly speaking, he and Natasha don't because wolves don't live in houses. Clint is very careful with their cub, even if he rumples her dress without meaning to. Natasha always fixes it with the patience of the damned, but one friend and one game is healthier than no friends and no games. Loki is of course their sworn enemy now, and Bruce has to disrupt more incidents of pint-sized espionage in the first month than in the average year. It's exhausting, but at least it shows intelligence.

With intelligence comes neurosis, and Bruce isn't surprised to see more of Phil than he does most years, too. Natasha is already set to see him once a week. She has to miss some of the second block of playtime, but one-on-one attention from a professional is something she clearly needs. The first time she's plainly terrified, and Bruce lets Clint walk her there, his grubby hand tightly holding hers.

"…Are we where we're supposed to be?" Natasha whispers, and Clint shrugs.

"Mr. Banner says Mr. Coulson has a picture of butterflies on his door." The doors around them are bare, and Natasha moves a bit closer to Clint, clinging to Lisa and crushing her blonde curls. "It's okay," he tells her.

"What if we're lost?"

"Then someone will find us. I don't think we'll get in trouble if it's really an accident."

In the end it's a moot point, and they arrive safely at the right door. It blazes with the orange of migrating monarchs. Natasha hugs Lisa to her chest and stares, frozen. Clint knocks on the door.


	4. Chapter 4

"Come in, please!" It's a nice voice, and as Clint opens the door they can hear quiet music with no words. It's soothing, and the man sitting behind the desk has a kind face. "Hello. Did you come with Natasha?"

Clint nods. "Are you nice?" Usually when he asks a serious question adults laugh, but this one gives him a serious answer.

"I work very hard to be the nicest person I can be. Animals trust me and none of the kids here hate me." Clint nods, and steps aside so Natasha can come in. In her anxiety she sucks her thumb, one sneaker-clad foot tucked over the other. Mr. Coulson smiles. "Hello, Natasha."

"…'lo."

"We're going to talk, and play with some toys. That sound all right?"

She nods, and comes a little further into the room. It's a nice room, with more pictures of landscapes and animals on the wall, with a window that looks right over the lawn, this side of the building slightly sunk into the hillside. Clint approves, and after Natasha has had a chance to examine things, Clint goes back to class.

Natasha can't help but be nervous, but she has Lisa and Mr. Coulson is quiet and gentle like Mr. Banner. He has her show him what her home is like with some dolls. She makes the little girl doll hide, and the mommy and daddy dolls look for her. And then the mommy doll finds doll Natasha, and has to sit outside where she's hiding and sing to her. The daddy doll waits in the living room, and paces.

"That's your family in a hard time, isn't it?"

"Lots of times."

"Show me what happens afterward." Phil is glad to see that the little doll does eventually come out and allow itself to be hugged. It's a slow process, with the child looking away at first, the hug starting with just one hand on her arm. Phil asks about that, and Natasha explains as best she can about waking up from dreams about someone caring, and the orphanage staff changing without warning and how even after a year, it seems like being Natasha Rushman is a dream. A lovely dream where she has her own room with flowers on the walls and a Mommy who dresses her in warm blue pajamas and kisses her goodnight. So when she gets scared and it all feels like before, like she's waking up, she can't quite believe that the dream is going on and that they'll stay with her. 

Unlike a lot of adults, Mr. Coulson actually seems to understand. He tells her that she's not crazy to feel like that. And not ungrateful either, and he seems to get really mad about it. But at Mrs. Henderson for saying so, not at Natasha. It reminds her of Daddy. She hugs Lisa tight, and Mr. Coulson smiles. "What's her name?"

"Lisa."

"She's pretty. Have you had her long?"

Natasha nods. A blonde college student from Sweden had given her the doll. The girl is a nameless blur, but Lisa had stayed, the gift so like the giver in appearance and so unlike in constancy. Lisa was always there, and Natasha could always kick and bite and hit hard when anyone tried to take her, so she still has her. She tells Mr. Coulson about this, and he nods. He actually understands how important Lisa is. That she's not 'just a toy', that Lisa the only thing in Natasha's life that has stayed, a person she has known for longer than her parents.

By the time she's free to go back to class, Mr. Coulson is on her tentatively trustworthy list. With Lisa still clutched to her chest she skitters through the halls like a mouse, and squeaks like one when she almost bumps into a man she's never seen before. He's black, and has no hair on his head but does have a beard. Most alarming of all, after the whole unknown adult male thing, he wears a patch over one eye and big scars come out from under it. She squeaks and hugs Lisa tight, frozen. And then he crouches down to be eye level with her. "Hey, girl. Are you lost?"

"I… I need to go to Mr. Banner's room."

"Then you're on the right track, honey." He turns a little and points. "Just down the hall."

"Thank you," she whispers, and takes his big hand when he offers it, letting him walk her back.


	5. Chapter 5

Clint brings back the first report of Mr. Coulson, that he has butterflies on his door and actually listens, and Natasha brings the second, along with a rare glimpse of the principal, who looms over everything in his big coat and watches everyone with his one eye. The big kids talk about how he lost it, but nobody knows for sure. He's kinda scary, but Mr. Banner doesn't mind him, and he leaves after they talk for a bit. Natasha scurries over to Clint, hugging Lisa.

"Mr. Coulson's nice," she says in her whispery little voice when Pepper asks. It's true, even if she doesn't have many words for people who are nice.

Clint definitely agrees that Mr. Coulson is nice. He gives him pictures and makes excuses to go to his office, and Bruce can only watch in helpless amusement as a five-year-old flirts with Phil just as hard as he can.

"He's really very gallant," Phil tells him one afternoon, leaning on Bruce's desk.

"Oh?"

"He makes sure I have an umbrella if it's raining, and saved all his green Skittles for me after finding out that they're my favorite flavor." He smiles fondly. "They're a disgusting welded together lump, but it's still sweet of him."

"How's Justin doing?" Now that Justin's father is away on an extended business trip, his mother will let him have weekly counseling for his poor self-esteem and other issues. He's improving by leaps and bounds and copying Tony less and less. Natasha's problems are deeper, but she's doing better too. One of the many things Bruce loves about kids is their resilience. On bad days he wonders who he could have been with more early intervention, but most of the time he's just happy for the kids when they fall and bounce.

Loki is still being a brat, but the others have learned to ignore him, and Tony and James are now fast friends because Tony came to James's defense when Loki talked him into trying to steal the candy Bruce keeps for rewards, bribes, hypoglycemia, crying fits, and injuries, and Pepper had backed him up. The three of them now form an impenetrable fellowship, and the classroom's battered old dolls can now explore strange new planets. James balks at first, but Tony is definitely a boy and seems to find nothing odd about playing with dolls, and the dolls fight monsters anyway, so it's not a completely sissy game. Lisa comes too sometimes, but only as a bodyguard or a friendly alien after her first stint as a villain had given her playmates nightmares. Phil and Natasha had had a long talk about how to figure out when scary is too scary. It had been a useful lesson for everyone involved. Bruce included, since he should've known better than to assume that a quiet Natasha was a Natasha who wasn't doing anything untoward. The girl has a good heart but seems to be naturally stealthy.

Such as when she tapes the ends of Loki's hair to his chair, making him yell when he tries to get up and then cry hysterically at the idea of having to cut his hair. They don't, of course, it's only Scotch tape, but a little thing like reason has never prevented Loki from pitching a fit, and in the end his poor mother has to come get him so she can wash the adhesive out of his hair and stop his fussing. Thor pushes Natasha in retaliation and Bruce puts them both in timeout, wondering what in the hell he's going to do with the Alfodr boys.

Still, Thor going to timeout for him does seem to warm Loki's heart a bit, and the two of them play together more in the days that follow. They scuffle a bit more on the playground, but then one of the bigger kids takes Lisa, and the hunt is on. Bruce does not approve of violence, and believes that the impulse toward it is natural and must be curbed in children. But something deep down inside him is rooting for the three kindergarteners ringing a fourth-grade boy, Clint kicking him in the shins, Loki punching him in the balls to make him double over enough for Natasha to snatch her doll from his hand and to get a little fistful of his hair and _pull_.


	6. Chapter 6

After their battle to get Lisa back, Loki and Natasha officially end their feud. He turns out to like dolls even more than Natasha does, and soon the wolf pack has another grown wolf and two cubs, Loki bringing his own precious doll from home. Thor joins in, and Bruce's medication is even working. Things are fine until Justin's fucking father comes home. And from home comes straight to the school to buttonhole Bruce in the empty classroom. He's working on lesson plans, because with Tony Stark in his class he finds himself having to alter some of the science projects into things that cannot blow up no matter what.

"Mr. Banner?" There's a knock at the open door, and it's one of the secretaries with Hammer behind her.

"Yes?"

"There's a concerned parent who would like to speak with you."

And this isn't quite untruthful. Hammer is very concerned. About how much trouble a non-cowed child is and about his own reputation as his son starts to stand up for himself and insist on the girly toys he likes. The speaking with is more speaking at, however, and Bruce's muscles knot up as he listens. Deep down there's that part of him again. The hulking male primate who wants to grab this interloper threatening his troupe's cubs and smash him. Bruce has no patience for anyone who cares more about how things look than how children feel, and does not tell Hammer so. He just nods, and makes thoughtful noises, and promises to limit Justin's dress-up time with his fingers crossed under his desk.

Bruce keeps calm until well after Hammer leaves. He feels numb, and there's a roaring his ears. He finishes with his lesson plans, and somehow gets up and gets home on autopilot. Must be the medication. Fury had had some reservations about hiring him, but considering that his condition is generally well-controlled and that children are the one thing that reliably _doesn't_ piss him off, has taken the chance and been borne out so far. So it's very important that Bruce is off school grounds when the fit comes over him. He keeps a punching bag in the basement, and he only breaks a few things on the way.

The fit is still on him when the doorbell rings, and he almost just lets it go. But it rings and rings and rings and fucking rings until he goes storming up the stairs to fling the door open, hackles up and teeth bared only to see Betty's dark eyes go wide at the sight of him. He is instantly ashamed of himself, like scalding water over his skin. He can't see her like this, and he can't ask her to deal with this and he definitely shouldn't start crying. He passes his hand across his eyes, trying not to whimper.

"S-sorry, Betty. So sorry."

"Bruce… what happened? You've been doing so well." She herds him back inside and to the couch, sitting with him and pulling him into her arms, dabbing at his bloody knuckles with tissues. He clings to her and tries to stop crying without much success.

"Justin's father is back."

"…Oh." Her voice is like ice, and he can feel her tensing with her own anger. "You had to be polite to him, didn't you?"

"I'm afraid he'll take the kid out of my class when he's just starting to make real friends, you know? And all because he can't be daddy's little man, because blood makes him feel faint and he'd rather play dolls than catch."

Betty sighs, and rocks him a little, stroking his hair. "Poor kid. Poor you." She kisses the top of his head and rubs his back and Bruce tries not to think about how little he deserves this.

"Then again, who I am to talk? I'm just like my fucking father."

"No, you are not! You have never laid a hand on me in anger, even when I'm the one who made you mad. You only even raise your voice to the kids when they startle you or they're far away. You work so hard to control yourself, and not to control other people. There's a reason I'm still with you, Bruce. I love you, and you're good to me. You startled me on the steps, but I was worried about you, because when you get hurt you get angry. You don't brandish it like a weapon to get your way, baby, and that makes all the difference."

It's got to be pathological, but if Bruce wasn't sure he would never hit her, he would have moved away and changed his name by now, so he relaxes into her embrace and feels a little better.


	7. Chapter 7

Bruce's hands are bandaged at his next conference with Mr. Alfodr, and he fidgets with them self-consciously as Alfodr makes himself comfortable. His wife hasn't come again, but Bruce has gleaned that it's something about her status in their home country as a _seid_ practitioner. Both her boys show a healthy respect for female authority figures, though, so while Bruce isn't up on all the rules he has to assume that Frigga Alfodr chose her life and is a force to be reckoned with at home. Alfodr is pleased to report that Loki is doing better at home, as well. Apparently the place is knee-deep in 'the story of adoption' style children's books, and Bruce is completely in favor.

Loki's work has been very good since he fell in with Clint and Natasha and started actually concentrating on it, and Alfodr smiles to see it. "He's very proud to be a good student now, you know. Thank you."

Bruce shrugs. "I didn't do much, I've just been treating him the same as the other kids. Considering _what_ he's been fussing about I feel that I perhaps haven't been sympathetic enough."

Alfodr shrugs. "His mother cossets him a great deal, Mr. Banner. I think your approach has been the right one."

Bruce likes to think so, but is as ever unsure. He watches the Alfodr boys as well as Justin and Christine, who has a way of calling out the bigger kids for lying that gets her in trouble with them. It's hard to fault her for being invested in the truth, especially when she's only five and really has no idea where the thing ends and begins, but he does wish she would learn to pick her battles. Still, his class seems to be doing just fine on the whole, and Phil compliments him on it which is touching and embarrassing and wonderful because Phil is in a key position to see what works and what doesn't.

As happens every year, graduation seems to come up in a matter of hours instead of months. Bruce is always a little depressed on the last day of school, and never quite ready to let go of his class. Even the pains in his ass, which Loki really isn't anymore. He's glad Betty has agreed to show up to support him, and that all the children look nice for the occasion. Even Clint is in clean, new overalls, and a striped shirt that makes him look (appropriately) like Dennis the Menace. They stand on their little risers and give their part of the spring concert and sound awful as they do every year, bless their tone-deaf little hearts. Natasha is still holding Lisa, who is wearing a little dress that matches Natasha's, and she makes the doll wave to her parents as the children step off the risers. Mrs. Rushman's eyes fill with tears as she waves back.

"Thank you, Mr. Banner," she says, "for helping our little girl."

"Children are resilient. I just try to give them a safe place to be."

"Well, between you and Mr. Coulson, she's been doing so much better."

Bruce smiles, watching as Natasha's grip on Lisa slips only for Clint to catch the doll before it can hit the dirt. "Don't underestimate her own powers, or the effects of friendship."

"We never would have thought two little boys would play so nicely with dolls, but Loki and Clint always do. Well, when Clint isn't trying to ruin our furniture."

Bruce grins. "He does that." Betty has wandered off in search of more punch, and comes back now with two cups.

"Betty, this is Roberta Rushman, Natasha's mother."

There are introductions all around and things are quite pleasant with the children running and playing everywhere while Betty talks about attachment theory with the Rushmans and then Bruce gets that cold feeling he knows so well, and glances over to see General Ross glaring at him. It's been months since their last encounter, and Bruce has been actively working on keeping it that way.

"Dad." Betty's voice is icy.

"Just looking in on my daughter."

"Well, here I am. How are you?"

"Fine, except for that thing next to you."

It's the kind of thing his father used to say, and Bruce's blood rushes in his ears. He can't afford to flip out on school grounds. He _can't_.

"Dad!" Betty snaps.

"Look at him. He's going to go any minute. How the hell can they let him around children?"

"Because he's a good teacher," Steve wheezes, "and you shouldn't swear."

"You should also be nice," Natasha adds, giving him that mutinous look that means kicking and biting are not necessarily off the menu, hugging Lisa tight to her chest. Ross glares down at her and Bruce sucks in enough breath for a roar, fighting to keep control and not let it out. If Ross so much as raises his voice to one of these kids, Bruce is going to kill him. His chest is tight and his vision has narrowed, but Ross doesn't say anything else.

"Bruce, sit down." Betty guides him to a chair and kneels in front of him, both his hands in her own. "Breathe in. Hold it. Breathe out. Hold it. Breathe in." Once he has the right rhythm, she talks to him softly, about a green forest and a cave where he's safe. It takes a while, but he comes back to himself, and when he does Ross is gone, and his class is gathered around looking worried. He laughs weakly, humiliated by his limitations.

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, he was mean," Loki tells Bruce, patting his knee with one pale little hand.

Bruce laughs again, and it sounds a bit better this time.


End file.
